Most industrial and municipal processes require water treatment facilities to treat effluents returned to the environment. Such facilities typically represent a significant investment by the business/community, and the performance of the facility (or failure thereof) can seriously impact ongoing operations financially and in terms of operational continuity.
Moreover, not all effluent treatment requires the same technologies. Industrial effluents (such as is found at coal bed methane facilities or oil production sites, for example) all have different particulate, pollutant and/or biomass content inherent to both the industrial processes as well as the particular water and soil conditions found at the site. Municipal requirements would likewise vary depending on desired end-of-pipe quality and use (and again depending on the feed water present at the site).
Electrocoagulation processes in wastewater treatment are well known. However, apparatus for performing such processes have heretofore required extensive maintenance and investment to assure proper operations. In particular, down time and personnel considerations associated with electrode maintenance (cleaning and replacement) have proven costly. Such heretofore known inefficiencies affect both overall operation of the apparatus and plant as well as apparatus longevity.
Therefore, improvement of such apparatus could still be utilized. Moreover, improved treatment technologies adapted to this and other uses can always be utilized given the criticality of provision and maintenance of clean water.